Sharp County record., 1887-02-24

rr .10d. Z have kept those three VOWS 70 lhls
time Z soon after that became q Christian ana
that decided my fate Tor time and FOR eternity.
Another captive Of this great Christian
deius0ul There goes Saul OF Iarsus on
horseback At full gail0p- Where IS ne
gofng! To destroy all Christians. de
wants no better Dlav-speII than to stand and
watch the hats and coats Of the murdereT5
who arc massacreiug Gods children. mere
roes the same man This time he IS afoot.
Where IS he going uOw3 Going on the road
TO Ostia to die for Christ They tried 10
vvhn it out Of him; they tried 70 scare
il out Of him; they thought JheY
would rive him enough Of II
bv D1tting nm into q windowless dungeon
and keeping him on small Diet and deny
sur nm d cloak. and coudemnlug hlm az d
criminal and lowling at nm through the
street. But they could not freeze 1t out OF
h!m. and they could not sweat u OUT OIL
him. and they could not pound 1t out OF
him. so they tried the surgery Of the sword
and one summer day in j6 ne was decapi-
tated. Perhaps the mightiest intellect Oh
the 5000 years Of the world s existence was
hoodwinked. cheated, csioled- duped oy
the Christian religion
All that is the remarkable thing about
this felusion Of Christianity, it oveTp0wers
the strongest iuteUeots. Gather the crit
les. secular and religious, Of this country
together. and put vote TO them as 20
which IS the greatest book ever written
and BY a large majority they VIII say
Paradise LOST Who wrote paradise
Tpst!u One Of the fools that believed IN
this Bible, John Milton.
BENJAMIN Franklin surrendered 70 Jhls
delusion. if you may Judge from the letter
ne wrote 10 Thomas Paine, begging nm TO
DESTROY the age Of Reason n mani-
script and never let 1t 20 into type, anu
writing afterward, n bis Old days; .DI
this Jesus of Nazareth I have TO say that
the system Of morals He left and the re-
ugIon de gave is are the best things the
world has ever seen or IS likely 10 see.'
Patrick Henrv. the electric champion Ot
liberty was ensIaved Dv this delusiOn- so
that he saws: THE book worth all other
books put together IS the Bible
BENJAMIN Rush. the Leading psychologist
and anatomist Of MS day, the great medical
srleutst-what did ne say The only
true and perfect religion IS Christianity Z"
Isaac Newton. the Leading philosopher oI
ais -ime-what did he say That man. sur
rendering to this deIusi0n OF the Christian
,aligrOu. cried out: The sublimesU PM
losOphv on earth IS the philosophy Oh me
Gospel
David Brewster, at the pronunciation 01
whose name every scientist the world over
bows his head-DavId Brewster SAID: ~
this religion mas been great light 20 me-
a very .great light all nv days.
President Theirs, the great French
statesman. acknowle lodged that ne prayed
when ne said. Il invoke the Lord Iod n
whom an glad TO believe
David Livingstone. able 70 conquer the
lion. able to conquer the panther, able 70
ronquer the savage vet conquered oy rhIs
felusion. this lalluClnatiOn- this great
. sviudle Of the ages. so when they ind aim
dead they ind llm on mis- knees.
William z Gladstone, the strongest m
. -eIIect n England to-day, unable TO resist
this chimera. this faIlacT, this deluslon OF
. the Christian religion. goes 10 the mousse OI
. God every Sabbath. and often, at the invl-
ration Of the rector, reads the prayers 10
the people.
/ 0. if those mighty intelIects are over
| borne by this ieIusiOn. what chance 8
there tor you and for nei
/ Besides that. 7 have noticed that frst-
rate in fdels can not be depended on for
. steadfastness in the proclamation Of their
sentiments. Goethe, a leading skepJlc,
was 80 wrought upon by this Christianity
hat in a weak moment ne cried out: My
belief in the Bible has saved me N my
literary and moral life
/ Rousseau, one Of the most eloquent
/ champions Of inhdelty, spending his whole
/ life warning against Christianity, CRIES
out: THE majesty Of the Scriptures
/ amazas men
AltamOut. the notorious Inddel-One
would think ne would 1e safe against this
deLusiOn Of The Christian religion. On, no.
After talking against Christianity all ais
favs n the asst hour Of MS life ne cried
out: .'Oh, Thou bLasphemed but most IN
. tulgeut Lord God, hell itself 8 4 refuge 4
il hide ne from Thy frOwuW
V9ltaira the most talented infdel the
world ever saw. writing TWO hundred and
fifty publications, and the most 0t them
/ sDIreful against Christianity, himself the
most notorious Ibertine Of The country
one would have thought he could have
. been depended upon for steadfastness N
/ the advocacy Of iuidehty and IN the war
against this terrible chimera. this delusiOn
Of the Gospel. But no; in MS Last hour he
asks for Chistian burial, ami asks that they
. rive hlm the sacrament Of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Why, you can not depend upon these
frst-rate iufdeLs-yOu can not depend upon
their power TO resist this great delusiOn Of
. Christianity. Thomas Paine, the god Of
modern skeptics. his birthday celebrated
in New York and Boston with great en-
rhusiasm-ThOmas Paine, the paragon Of
Bible haters; Thomas Paine, about whom
his brother iufIeI. William Carver wrote,
in a letter which have at ny house, say
ing that ne drank a quart Of rum day
aud vas too mean and too dishonest TO
pay for it; Thomas Paine the adOred
Of modern infdeLity; Thomas Paine, who
stole another man. wife IN England and
brought her 70 this land; Thomas Paine,
who was so squaIid, and 80 .OaJhsOme, and
so drunken, and 50 profit gate, and 80 beast
~ in his habits, sometimes picked out OF
the ditch, sometimes too filthy TO be picked
. out; Thomas PlIne one would have
thought that he could have been depended
. on for steadfastness against this great de-
lusion. But no. In his dying hour be Oegs
the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy.
Powerful deIusiOn, aII-conquering deiu-
sion. earthquallng deLusiOu Of the Chris
tan religion. Yea, it goes on, it IS so in